Tuesday

Dec 27, 2016 at 10:32 AMDec 27, 2016 at 11:18 AM

If one theme emerged from the 2015-16 legislative session: state Rep. Lori Ehrlich found her bills and priorities front and center more than once.

“This past session was incredibly busy in my office,” said the Marblehead Democrat who enters her fifth session in January after her reelection in November. “That hard work paid off. Several of my bills, which I’ve been working on for years, proceeded nicely through the Legislature, and many have been signed into law.”

Over the last session, Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law two bills with state implications sponsored by Ehrlich.

The first comes after Ehrlich’s landmark 2014 law established a three-tier gas-leaks classification system that prioritizes leaky pipes for fixture by utility companies based on the infrastructures’ dangerousness. Updates passed this legislative session now mandate gas companies not only share information about leaks but also prove that they’re progressively repairing those that they’re “merely monitoring.”

“I have no doubt that lives have already been saved,” said Ehrlich, “and it's better for everyone’s wallet and the climate if the gas stays in the pipes.”

The second law brought protections to animals left alone in vehicles during extreme temperatures and empowers police and civilian passersby to free trapped animals inside. Provisions in the new law also include protections for their rescuers from civil suits - if they take action responsibly. The rescuer, should they break into a car, must prove a good-faith effort to find the animal’s owner and stay at the vehicle until law enforcement arrives.

Moreover, Ehrlich’s law ushered in prohibitions on tethering dogs outside when an extreme-weather advisory goes into effect or for long periods.

"While we hope and expect no one should ever have to act to save a pet or child from such dangerous conditions,” said Baker during the August signing ceremony, “we understand those situations unfortunately do arise and lives can depend on a quick response.”

Thomas, a big animal advocate and rescuer, added: “We all wish laws like this would pass across all states. Success [state] by state gives everyone the ability to work on a smaller scale, modify as needed more quickly and then replicate to other states.”

2017-18 legislative priorities

Continuing her animal-welfare advocacy, Ehrlich has also filed a bill targeting the sell of ivory in Massachusetts.

“I was shocked to learn Massachusetts plays a big role in the illegal ivory trafficking market,” said Ehrlich. “In response, I filed legislation to regulate its sale throughout the state.”

The House version failed, but a redraft emerged favorably out of a joint committee, giving Ehrlich hope in the next session, she said.

She said an estimated 90 African elephants are murdered daily.

“I look forward to pursuing it again,” said Ehrlich. “It’s our responsibility to do what we can to help stop the destruction of this magnificent, intelligent species.”

Ehrlich’s bill seeking to limit the use of non-compete agreements by employers nearly passed both chambers, but a compromise fell short over one provision. In the aftermath, however, Senate and House leadership has indicated a leaning toward resurrecting debate around the issue.

In the new session, Ehrlich plans to work on issues around sexual assault. She plans on submitting legislation to initiate a taskforce, charged with studying sexcual assult - through a climate study - on campuses of Massachusetts higher education institutions.

“Campus sexual assault is chronically underreported, so the results of anonymous climate surveys could be pivotal to assessing and understanding the prevalence and perception of this violence - and its impact,” said Ehrlich.

She said she also chairs a sexual-assault taskforce with a commission to brainstorm, research and file legislation around this “epidemic of violence.” Bills filed, she said, will aim to combat the issue more broadly.

White House visits

At three different points, Ehrlich found herself at the White House in 2016, starting with a welcoming ceremony for Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, in March. In May, she attended “a convening on Gun Violence Prevention for State and Local Officials,” presided over by Vice President Joe Biden. And in June, she joined 5,000 women and their allies from across the country for the inaugural United States of Women Summit. The summit focused on the status of women in the United States, celebrated women’s achievements and, as Ehrlich put it, laid out “work to be done.”

“In President Obama’s speech at the summit, he reminded us all that change begins with each of us,” said Ehrlich. “In light of this most recent election cycle, I think that statement has become even more powerful and important.”